Swarm of Bees: Progress Report

The collected swarm has been in their hive 2 weeks. On my first hive inspection (Tuesday) the bees had akwardly built comb in a gap between the wall of the hive and the frame. This had to be removed because it would impede future hive inspections. Nonetheless, the bees had made great progress, drawing comb in five of the ten frames. The queen is laying; there are eggs and larvae in the brood box which is a great sign!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Freshly collected comb after being removed from the hive.

The collected comb was dripping with nectar, and it was sugary sweet because I had been feeding the bees with sugar syrup. This was not a nice taste!

Bees cleaning the comb

I decided that the bees would make a job better of cleaning the comb than me, so I decided to return the comb. But instead of returning it to where it had came from (the brood box), I decided to place it in the super (the box above the brood box) and let the bees clean it.

Bees cleaning comb

The bees are doing a great job cleaning the comb. Once this task is completed I will store the comb and perhaps use it for swarm gathering next year in conjunction with my cardboard box!

Bee flying back to hive

The bees have also been busy foraging and many of the foragers are returning with pollen. This is a source of protein for feeding the queen. Naturally, the bees are also returning with nectar and propolis.

Bees return after collecting pollen – see yellow blobs on legs.

In the next couple of weeks I will need to treat the bees for the varroa mite. I will need to raise the height of the crown board using and eke. Autumn is coming closer and I am mindful about getting the bees through the winter.